Frogs and Ravens

Challah-lu-yah

I also tested out wolfangel's challah recipe:

Verdict? Yum!

Combing Llama Fiber

After a moment of frustration with the socks I just finished (they were too short -- how, I don't know -- necessitating a frogging -- grr!) I decided to return to a project I mess around with off and on. I have vague plans to spin and knit a shawl for myself. Unfortunately, the amount of yarn required and the amount of preparation involved in producing said yarn means that progress is, and will be, slow. The fiber in question -- llama wool from a friend -- is full of vegetable bits, meaning that it needs much cleaning. Luckily, if I take the time to comb them free (rather than just picking them out) it is easier to spin a fine yarn. Easier is good, since I'm working with a drop spindle and the less fussing with the fiber the better.

So this weekend I have gone back to the slow process of combing the fiber. Here, for your edification, is the procedure.

I begin by taking a firm grip on the pre-carded fiber, which has been conveniently arranged into a long strip wound into a ball. About 1/2 inch is allowed to hang off to the right. (The fiber itself is only about 2-3" long, so you can't let too much loose.)




Next, I take my handy wooden comb, and comb through the tuft with the coarse side of the comb. The goal here is to untangle the fibers, cull out the noils (short fuzzy bits) and get out the worst of the vegetable bits.




I repeat that step with the fine end of the comb. Again, the goal is to tidy the fibers and clean out the junk.




I then firmly grab the combed fibers and pull. The goal is to free them from the rest of the uncombed fibers still remaining in the strip.




The coarse combing is repeated on this side.




Then the fine combing. (Yes, the comb is held differently than before; I have trouble flipping the comb over as deftly with my left hand as with the right. I'm working on it.)




Ta-dah! The finished result.




The combed fibers are carefully placed in a cooler on top of layers of newspaper. This keeps them clean and portable and safe from napping cats!



The next step is spinning. If I can figure out a way to photograph the process, I will post pictures at some point in the future!

Sockalicious

It has been socks, socks, socks this month. No one can say that D. and I haven't been getting enough socks!

(Pause while everyone groans)

Seriously, there has been a lot of sock knitting of late. It has been a combination of D. looking around for another project to expand his knitting skills and my being seduced by sock yarn. So he purchased some manly grey yarn, and I began working on these:

No, you are not seeing things. Yes, the socks do not match. Granted, I knew that the yarn was not meant to form stripes in any particular pattern, so the socks would not have been identical in any case. And yes, the label did warn that there might be color variations within dyelots. I did not, however, expect that the result would be one sock noticeably brighter and pinker than the other!

So I plan to dye it in blue Kool-ade in the hopes of toning it down. Wish me luck!

Here is D's first sock ever:

Now, I think this is a wonderful sock. That it is a first-try sock makes it even more impressive. Yet for a while D. didn't believe me when I said this. (I'm not sure whether he thought I was just being nice or that I was teasing him.) Yes, the sizing is a little off (entirely my fault, since we were working off a pattern I've invented for my foot, and in a different yarn and gauge besides!) but everything else is well-executed.

So I didn't understand this at first, but then I realized, he was comparing his sock to this one.

This is my latest sock, the one I was knitting along with him so I could show him how to do the heel, toe decreases, etc.

What he should have been comparing his sock to was this:

I mean, geez, where to begin? It's HUGE, and purple (a weirdly vivid purple that bleeds at the mere sight of water to boot), and shaped like a potato. The heel stitches are twisted, I don't know what's going on at the toe, and did I say that it is huge? To add further insult to injury, there were two of these giant mutant socks in my possession (I later unravelled one to make something else), and it shows signs of wear, so I must have worn them at some point! Horrors!

(click on the picture to see it in its full terrifying glory)

Needless to say, when I realized what was going on, I dropped this monstrosity in his lap. To say he laughed is an understatement, and he feels much better about his first sock now.

Earache

This has been a week of battling the great earache. *sigh*

Usually it just torments me for one day, then goes away. This time it's been going away at night then coming back in the morning. I have been using some homeopathic ear drops, and they help, but it takes them a while to take effect. I'm thinking that next I may try a herbal drop mixture of willow bark and garlic -- painkiller and anti-bacterial in one!

Still, it is tiring. I have been to doctors for it before, and they all look in my right ear with the otoscope and say "Hmm." Apparently it looks a bit red, but that's about it. So they give me antibiotics (which make me ill and don't do anything useful) and decongestants (which make me edgy and paranoid and don't do anything useful). Nothing much happens, the ear finally gets over itself and calms down, and there matters stay until the next occurrence.

I've figured out that it has something to do with changing air pressure (I never fly without my uncomfortable but vitally necessary air-pressure-relieving ear plugs), since it acts up most when the weather changes or when I experience a change in altitude. I suspect that the ear canal is smaller and more pinched than the other, perhaps a legacy of jaw-manipulating orthodontia, bruxism and a face that's a bit crooked.

There is no quick fix, at least not one I've encountered. So mostly I endure, try not to think about it, and occasionally experiment with over-the-counter treatments if I think they are cheap enough and safe enough to risk. I'd like to think that this ability to endure is a sign of maturity, but I think it's more akin to the same sort of stolid perseverance that enables other animals to endure the aches and wounds that living brings.

It would be nice if a earache were the only such burden I have to carry in my life.

It would be even nicer if my ear were well!

Invisible Adjunct to Close

IA will be taking down her site as of June 9th. Archive while you still can!

Mmm, Tasty!

I taste like Bread. I am a staple in almost everyone's diet. Friends like me are a complement to any other friends I get on with almost everyone, remaining mostly in the background, but providing substance when it would otherwise be lacking. What Flavour Are You?

I've been thinking about baking bread lately, and drooling over the challah descriptions at wolfangel's (alas, I do not have a bread mixer, just my two hands and a big wooden spoon). So this worked out well.

c/o wolfangel

Underground Quizilla

You are the 1908 Metropolitan Map! One of the
first full maps of the underground, you are a
pioneer. You are a realist and geographically
accurate, with places of interest. Sit down
and have a cup of tea, love.

Which London Underground Map Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

It's funny how accurate this feels!

c/o scribblingwoman

A Horrible Pun

What did the Mexican jumping bean say?

Yo soy.

c/o this post.

Historical Skill Set

I have nothing really to write about today. It's a quiet, uneventful week -- the usual calm before the storm. At least the "storms" are developing a routine, and I can begin to plan my time around them.

Mostly I'm working on socks (a post with pictures is forthcoming) and musing about things like Colonial House. I would very much like to partake in one of the "House" productions, either as a participant or as support staff. I offer some of the following skills: historical research; knowledge of textiles; facility with drop spindle and hand-knitting (including socks); handsewing (including clothing like corset and skirt); relatively comfortable wearing said garments; tolerance of dirt, lack of showers, BO, and "down home" feminine hygiene options; some knowledge of natural dyes, herbal medicine and wild food plants; experience handling livestock (goats, sheep, horses, chickens, dogs, cats); able to bake bread in a dutch oven over a fire; can catch, kill, and clean a fish; can pluck a chicken; wood-carving and basic carpentry; ceramics (including mixing glazes and loading kilns)...

So, where do I sign up?

Colonial House

It's almost over, but Colonial House is worth a look. If nothing else, it demonstrates what reality tv can look like when the participants are selected for compatibility and community formation instead of competition and back-stabbing.